The decision to cast the previously unknown Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather was met with great controversy over fifty years ago. to great resistanceWhile Francis Ford Coppola saw his vision come to life in Al Pacino, producer Robert Evans was against casting him. The director prevailed and shows us half a century later why he wanted him so badly.
52-year-old video: Al Pacino was completely unknown when he auditioned for The Godfather
52 years later, Coppola has released a video on his own YouTube channel in which Al Pacino speaks with the director. Excerpts from the rehearsals at the casting should be particularly interesting for fans:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7CMIhJiTXY
In the video description, Coppola shares further details about the casting process. Apparently, Evans was not the only one against the casting of Pacino. The director had to fight against several voices, as he writes in the video description:
The interesting thing was that the reason given to me against casting Pacino was not only that he was too small, but also that he too unkempt be.
Even when Pacino and Coppola gave in to the reasons and gave the actor a new hairstyle, the producers were not satisfied:
Then he was criticized for having lost some of his natural appeal due to his well-groomed appearance. I realized that they simply did not want Al, no matter whether big or small, unkempt or college style.
Despite all the obstacles, Coppola stuck to his guns and cast Pacino in the role of Michael Corleone. It was thanks to this persistence that The Godfather became a masterpiece that probably continues to inspire many filmmakers to this day.